1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communication systems, and in particular, to a communication system that uses a short-range wireless transmitter to automatically register a mobile user to use communication devices in the communication system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wireless communication system provides communications to a user despite the movement of the user within the system. In a wireless communication system, a mobile telephone exchanges wireless registration signals with a base station. The base station sends a registration message to a registration database. The wireless communication system then uses the registration database to forward calls to the base station that currently registers the mobile telephone. Unfortunately, this wireless communication system is complex and expensive.
The industry is developing a specification, referred to as Bluetooth, that specifies a wireless transceiver microchip that allows devices in a room or home to discover one another and communicate over a wireless link. The microchip can be integrated into phones, computers, or similar devices. Unfortunately, communication systems utilizing Bluetooth devices have not been fully designed or implemented.
Call-forwarding systems allow some user mobility without a complex wireless communication system. In a call-forwarding system, the user has calls that were placed to a first telephone number forwarded to a second telephone number. For example, the user may have calls that are placed to their office telephone number forwarded to their mobile telephone number. In another example, the user may have a personal telephone number that must be translated into a second telephone number for routing. The first number stays the same, but the user may change the second telephone number. To invoke call-forwarding, the user calls the call-forwarding system to identify themselves and provide the second telephone number. Unfortunately, the call-forwarding system forces the user to continually call in and manually register as they move about.